The present invention relates to decorations for use in gift-wrapping a package and, more particularly, to such a decoration including an ornament which automatically expands or "pops up" upon application of the decoration to the package.
Decorative ornaments for use in gift-wrapping packages are well known in the art. Decorative ornaments which stand up from the top surface of the package being gift-wrapped add a highly desirable touch of three dimensional class and elegance to the gift-wrapping. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 184,417, filed Sept. 5, 1980, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,601, describes such an ornament affording a spray- or fountain-like appearance. Strong deterrents to the use of such stand-up ornaments are, first, the fact that they typically require ample storage space so as not to be crushed or damaged prior to use, and second, frequently must be manually positioned in a vertical orientation to insure that the ornament will stand upright on the package. The first of these deterrents is overcome by the use of expandable ornaments of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,894, which ornament, in its unexpanded state, is substantially flat and compact, suitable for storage, and manually openable to provide, in its expanded state, a circular wreath or semi-circular half-wreath (like a fan).
The patent describes its expansible structure as being "a honeycomb structure constituted of a plurality of sheets of tissue paper, each sheet superposed upon another, the sheets being joined together along parallel adhesive lines, staggered on alternate sheets of paper, and progressively built up until an appropriate desired thickness is obtained. In die-cutting the resulting honeycomb blanket in the design of a half profile of a holly-leaf, provision is made for disposing the adhesive lines inwardly from the leaf edge and a second adhesive line disposed at the edges of the simulated leaf adapted to secure the edges of one leaf with its adjacent member. When the tissue sheets forming the simulated leaf are parted in a continuous pull-out form, the resulting leaf will be comprised of a back of one sheet and the front of another, with the inwardly disposed adhesive line forming a central vein in simulation of a natural leaf. The adhesive line securing the tips or edges of the leaf accordingly acts to spread its adjacent member".
While the patent does not suggest use of the half-wreath for gift-wrapping purposes, clearly the same could be adapted for such use simply by manually spreading the ends thereof to form the half-wreath, suitably positioning the expanded half-wreath vertically on the package, and then affixing the half-wreath ends to the package by means of adhesive, stapling or the like. The second deterrent is not, however, alleviated.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an expandable pop-up decoration including an ornament which automatically expands and pops up upon application thereof to a package as part of the gift-wrapping of the package.
Another object is to provide such a decoration which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easily and rapidly applied to the package, and securely attachable thereto.